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Madison Streets Division plow driver Mark Whaley evens out a load of road salt in the bed of his truck at the department's West Division facility in Madison. Officials said Monday that plows would spread salt on all city streets to try to melt a stubborn coating of ice.

A Madison Streets Division loader retrieves road salt Monday from a storage shed at the department's West Division facility. City officials said Monday's operation was the first time salt had been spread on every city street since a salting policy was adopted in the 1970s.

Madison plow trucks spread salt on all city streets as another winter storm bears down on area

Madison Streets Division plow driver Mark Whaley evens out a load of road salt in the bed of his truck at the department's West Division facility in Madison. Officials said Monday that plows would spread salt on all city streets to try to melt a stubborn coating of ice.

Madison officials made the “unprecedented” decision to spread salt on every city street Monday to break up a stubborn layer of ice still coating many roadways ahead of another winter storm.

The effort was meant to melt the ice enough to give city plows enough traction to push the several new inches of snow expected to fall Monday night and Tuesday off roads.

City officials made the decision to coat all streets with salt after previous efforts using a small amount of salt mixed with sand to remove ice from last week’s ice storm failed, said Streets Division Superintendent Charlie Romines.

“It was the hope that the salt within the sand would melt the ice, but that did not occur,” he said. “The unprecedented decision to salt each street in Madison was made after it became apparent the sand (and) salt mixture previously spread on residential streets was not effective in breaking through the ice layer on the roads.”

Salt is loaded into the bed of a plow truck Monday at the department's West Division facility in Madison.

JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

Officials said Monday was likely the first time all Madison streets were salted since the city instituted a policy on salting roads in the 1970s in an effort to slow a marked increase in sodium and chloride, the two components of salt, in Madison-area lakes and drinking water.

That policy calls for salt to be applied to 32 “salt routes” in the city, including major thoroughfares, bus routes and streets near hospitals and clinics but to only use sand on residential streets, if needed.

Trucks were to spread salt at the rate of 200 pounds per lane mile in residential neighborhoods and 300 pounds per lane mile on the main salt routes. Madison has about 800 lane miles of streets.

But Romines said the operation won’t become a habit.

“Salting each street is a singular decision in response to unique weather conditions,” he said. “The Streets Division will not continue to salt each street in Madison in response to normal winter conditions.”

Up to 8 inches

Madison’s salting operation came as another snowstorm was bearing down on Wisconsin.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for most of the state, including Dane County, from 9 p.m. Monday to midnight Tuesday.

Wind speeds through Tuesday night could be up to 15 mph, with gusts of up to 30 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Romines said the city will dispatch 34 plow trucks overnight to plow and salt main thoroughfares once the storm hits. An additional two will spread sand on hills, curves and intersections.

Roads are expected to be slippery Tuesday morning, he said.

“Allow for ample commuting time in order to arrive at your destinations safely,” Romines said. “Allow for plenty of stopping distance at intersections and behind vehicles. Also, as with all winter storms, please be slow, patient, and alert on the roads.”

Emergencies noted

The coming storm had already prompted some area municipalities to declare snow emergencies Monday afternoon.

The town of Middleton, village of Marshall, Stoughton and Sun Prairie declared snow emergencies on Monday ahead of the storm. Madison had not called a snow emergency as of early Monday evening.

A Madison Streets Division loader retrieves road salt Monday from a storage shed at the department's West Division facility. City officials said Monday's operation was the first time salt had been spread on every city street since a salting policy was adopted in the 1970s.

JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

Romines said the Streets Division will monitor the situation. Regular Tuesday refuse and recycling is planned to continue as normal.

The Streets Division also said Monday that the storm will likely result in a city-wide plowing operation, though the timing for that hasn’t been determined.